He said: "The challenge for the future is not to save jobs that have gone. We are not dealing here with a return of MG Rover. We are dealing with a new venture, new partners with a different scale and scope, as part of a long-term regeneration of this area."

City Council leader Mike Whitby praised Nanjing's "courage and determination" for making the commitment to the site and added: "We can celebrate in a spirit of optimism that manufacturing can return to Longbridge."

He called Nanjing a "strategic partner" in the regeneration of the massive factory in partnership with landlord St Modwen that could eventually yield 10,000 jobs.